PORT CLINTON - Changes are being implemented at Ottawa County Common Pleas Court following a high-profile case in which a man who admitted to the rape of an infant was sentenced to a maximum of only 11 years behind bars after reaching a plea agreement.

Arron Blevins, 24, was sentenced last week to 11 years in prison, the maximum for the first-degree felony count of rape he pleaded guilty to in February.

Blevins was previously facing a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility parole after being indicted in July on charges of rape with a specification noting the victim was under the age of 10, as well as tampering with evidence.

Those charges were dropped by Ottawa County Prosecutor Mark Mulligan’s office after a plea agreement was reached with Blevins and his defense attorney, James Popil.

Blevins' guilty plea to the first-degree felony guaranteed that he would serve some time in prison.

At the plea change hearing, Blevins clearly admitted for the first time on record what happened.

Mulligan said taking the case to trial would have been a “gamble,” risking the possibility that Blevins could walk free if found not guilty, due to weaknesses in some of the prosecution’s key evidence, such as a confession that could have potentially been suppressed.

Judge Bruce Winters of Ottawa County Common Pleas Court said the first time he was informed of the reasons for the prosecution’s decision to reach the plea agreement was at the sentencing hearing, and that because the new charge was filed through a bill of information, he did not have the authority to deny the plea.

In an effort to avoid such circumstances in the future, any criminal charges that are amended to lesser offenses or dismissed in Ottawa County Common Pleas Court will now require the judge’s approval and will be done on the record with the defendant present.

“At that point, they’re going to have to tell me why they’re reducing charges, what weaknesses there potentially are in their case, so that we don’t run into an issue like last week where at sentencing the State of Ohio’s trying to explain why they reduced the charges,” Winters said. “If there’s a time to do that, it’s at the pre-trial or, at the latest, at the plea change.”

Winters said there are a lot of cases in the pipeline now that have already had pre-trial hearings and reached plea agreements with the state. He will be reviewing each of those at the time of their respective plea change before commencing with the hearing to accept the plea.

“It’s been my position for the last seven years that the prosecutor should make his decisions on his cases based on his own experience,” Winters said. “I spoke with Mr. Mulligan this week and he was open to having me review cases that were being reduced or dismissed.”

Winters said Ohio law permits judges to do so in “almost all circumstances,” with one of the exceptions being a case brought by a bill of information, as in the Blevins case.

However, the prosecutor’s office has said it will not file amended charges through a bill of information if there is an objection from the judge.

“I hope we’re on a better path,” Winters said. “Two different people looking at these cases will be helpful.”

Awareness of the Blevins case was raised considerably thanks to the efforts of Bikers Against Abused and Neglected Children, or BAANC, a Huron-based nonprofit organization that seeks to serve as a voice for victims in child abuse cases.

Over a dozen bikers from BAANC filled the courtroom for Blevins’ sentencing hearing last week. Kristy Schell, a BAANC volunteer, also encouraged other members of the public to attend.

“I think it’s wonderful that the public shows an interest to show up at these hearings,” Winters said. “I welcome them and anybody else that wants to be in the courtroom to hold everybody accountable.”

“That’s the big reason that we do come to these,” Schell said. “We want to make sure that they know we’re watching them and we’re holding them accountable.”

Pam Jenkins said she founded BAANC along with her husband, Joe, so they could provide a voice for victimized children who otherwise aren’t heard.

“I’m happy that groups like that exist," Mulligan said. "They call attention to a serious problem in society. We’re all on the same page, trying to protect our children. I respect them for that.”